Bridge on the River Kwai; the true story Bridge on the River Kwai Tamarkan, Thailand. c. 1945. Train crossing the wooden bridge which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1960). Begun in October 1942, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, it was completed and operational by early February 1943. Both the wooden and the adjacent steel bridge were subjected to numerous air raids between January and June 1945. POW labour was used to repair the wooden bridge on each occasion. Tamarkan is fifty five kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk), or five kilometres north of Kanchanaburi. (Donor A. Mackinnon) Tamarkan, Thailand. c. October 1945. Located fifty five kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk), 359 kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat, and five kilometres north of Kanchanaburi (Kanburi).

The photograph shows the two bridges built by the Japanese, using prisoner of war (POW) labour, which spanned the Mae Klong river (renamed Kwa Yai river in 1960).The wooden trestle bridge was completed in February 1943, and the steel bridge in April 1943. This eleven span bridge had been dismantled by the Japanese and brought to Tamarkan from Java in 1942. Both bridges wee subjected to numerous attacks by Allied aircraft during the period December 1944 to June 1945. One span of the steel bridge was destroyed in a raid mid February 1945. Two more spans were dropped during raids between April and June 1945. (cont'd below) Aerial photograph of the Bridge over the River Kwai, Thailand, severely damaged by aerial bombing.

The Bridge on the River Kwai, the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), the memorable, epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama, was the first of director David Lean's major multi-million dollar, wide-screen super-spectaculars (his later epics included Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965)). The screenplay was based upon French author Pierre Boulle's 1954 novel of the same name. [Boulle was better known for his screenplay for Planet of the Apes (1963).] Although he received sole screenplay credit, other deliberately uncredited, blacklisted co-scripting authors (exiled Carl Foreman - who scripted High Noon (1952) - and Michael Wilson) had collaborated with him, but were denied elibigility. They were post-humously credited years later, in late 1984, in a special Academy ceremony. [When the film was restored, the names of Wilson and Foreman were added to the credits.] Col. Shears (Alec Guinness) in The Bridge on the River Kwai.

[The film's story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. One of a number of Allied POW's, Toosey was in charge of his men from late 1942 through May 1943 when they were ordered to build two Kwai River bridges in Burma (one of steel, one of wood), to help move Japanese supplies and troops from Bangkok to Rangoon. In reality, the actual bridge took 8 months to build (rather than two months), and they were actually used for two years, and were only destroyed two years after their construction - in late June 1945. The memoirs of the 'real' Colonel Nicholson were compiled into a 1991 book by Peter Davies entitled The Man Behind the Bridge.] The film was the number one box-office success of the year (the highest grossing film) and it won critical acclaim as well - eight Academy Award nominations and seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Director, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Pierre Boulle), Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Film Editing.

Only Sessue Hayakawa, a former silent screen star and one of the first important Asian stars, who was nominated for his Best Supporting Actor role as the hot-tempered Japanese colonel, lost. The film created an additional stir when it debuted on ABC television on September 25, 1966. The date was dubbed "Black Sunday" due to the loss of business at movie theatres on account of its popular airing. Cont'd. Tamarkan POW camp was located adjacent to both the bridges and a nearby Japanese anti-aircraft battery. It also suffered during these air raids, the worst being on 29 November 1944. During this attack on the Ack Ack battery, three bombs overcarried and demolished the top ends of POW huts 1 and 2, burying a number of the occupants. The POW casualties numbered nineteen killed and sixty eight wounded. During a four hour attack on the bridges and Ack Ack battery on 5 February 1945, a further fifteen POWs were injured. The camp site was littered with great fragments of shrapnel, and one hut and the canteen were burnt to the ground.

On 14 February 1945, the Japanese evacuated the remaining POWs to the Chungkai camp which was located approximately two kilometres north on Kanchanaburi, on the bank of the River Kwai Noi. Photographed by the War Graves Commission survey party whose task was to located POW cemeteries and grave sites along the Burma-Thailand railway. They also took the opportunity to recover equipment and documents, which had been secretly buried, under instructions from senior POW officers, in the graves of deceased POWS. (Donor B. Evans) Wampo (Wang Po), Thailand. c. September 1945. The Wampo tiered viaduct built along the edge of the Kwai Noi River. The two main viaducts followed the bottom of the cliff for some distance. A ledge had to be carved out of the cliff face to form a base for the bridge and embankment construction. It was a dangerous and exhausting task for the POW work force. Wampo is approximately 114 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk), or 300 kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat. (Donor A.

Mackinnon) Kanchanaburi, Thailand, 1973. A memorial plaque erected on the southern bank of the River Kwai, at one end of the bridge which was built over the river by allied prisoners-of-war (POWs) and Asian labourers from various countries. The inscription on the plaque reads: "Thai-Burma Railway Line. 1. During the Second World War the Japanese Army constructed a military railway line branching off the southern line at Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk) Station, Km.64+196. This line crossed over the River Kwae Yai at Kanchanaburi, traversed along the bank of Kwae Noi River, cut across the Thai-Burma border at Chedi Sam Ong, continued on into Burma and joined the Burma railway line at Thanbyuzayat. The total length of line constructed was 419 kms., being in Thailand 303.95 kms. and in Burma 111.05 kms. 2. Construction work started in October 1942. A year later on 23 October 1943 rail laying was completed.

About 60,000 men consisting of Indian, Burmese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese and Thai labourers as well as prisoners of war took part in the construction work. 3. The diesel power traction car shown here was used during the construction. It could be run either on road or railway track. The road wheels would be lowered into position when required. The steam locomotive shown was employed for military transport service on this line. Wampo (Wang Po), Thailand. 21 October 1945. Wampo is approximately 114 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk, or 300 kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat. A diesel rail car passing over the long trestle bridge commonly known as the Wampo viaduct. This tiered viaduct was built along the edge of the Kwai Noi river. The two main sections of the viaduct followed the bottom of the cliff for some distance. A ledge had to be carved out of the cliff face to form a base for the bridge and embankment construction. It was a dangerous and exhausting task for the prisoner of war (POW) work force.

Wampo is approximately 114 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk), or 300 kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat. Strengthened and rebuilt to the original design in the post-war years, the viaduct forms part of the railway which is still operational as far as Namtok (Tarsau). 4. In speeding up construction work the Japanese Army built a temporary railway bridge across the River Kwae Yai downstream close to the existing bridge. After completion of the existing bridge composing of 11 steel spans with the rest of timber spans, the temporary bridge was dismantled to ease off river traffic inconvenience. Three steel spans nos. 4, 5, 6 were damaged by allied bombing during the war period. After taking over the line the State Railway of Thailand replaced the three damaged spans with two steel spans and changed all timber spans at the far end with six steel spans. 5. When the war come [sic] to an end in 1945 the British Army dismantled 3.95 kms. of track at the Thai-Burma border. The remaining length of 300 kms.

was handed over to the State Railway of Thailand in 1947. With due and careful consideration in regard to transport economic as well as other aspects, the State Railway of Thailand was authorised to dismantle the track from the end of the line to Nam Tok Station and to upgrade the remaining length of 130.204 kms. to Nong Pladuk Station conforming to operational permanent way standard. Subsequently, the section between Nong Pladuk and Kanchanaburi Stations was officially opened to traffic on 24 June 1949, between Kanchanaburi and Wang Pho Stations on 1 April 1952 and the last section from Wang Pho to Nam Tok Stations on 1 July 1958. State Railway of Thailand. (Donor C. Scriven) Burma-Thailand Railway. c. February 1943. Allied prisoners of war (POWs) engaged in bridge building at Tamarkan, fifty five kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk) and five kilometres south of Kanchanaburi (Kanburi).

The scaffolding, made from bamboo, is at the site of the eleven span steel bridge which was completed in April 1943. It, together with a wooden bridge approximately 100 kilometres downstream, spanned the Mae Klong river (renamed Kwai Yai river in 1960). Tamarkan, Thailand. c. September 1945. A view of Tamarkan prisoner of war (POW) camp showing rows of huts with thatched attap roofs and open walls. Tamarkan camp was adjacent to the two bridges which spanned the Mae Klong River (renamed Kwai Yai River in 1970). It is fifty five kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk) and five kilometres north of Kanchanaburi. Photographed by the War Graves Commission survey party whose task was to locate POW cemeteries and grave sites along the Burma-Thailand railway. They also took the opportunity to recover equipment and documents which had been secretly buried, under instructions from senior POW officers, in the graves of deceased POWs. (Donor L. Cody) Chungkai (Kao Poon), Thailand.

September 1945. Approximately two kilometres north of Kanchanaburi (Kanburi) on the bank of the Kwai Noi river. Temporary wooden crosses on the graves of Allied soldiers (prisoners of war (POWs)) in the Chungkai cemetery. There were two cemeteries, one with 1,500 graves and one with 168 graves. Those Australians who had been buried in these two cemeteries, were exhumed and reburied in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery towards the end of 1945. The Chungkai War Cemetery is located in exactly the same site as used for POW burials between 1943 and 1945. (Donor B. Leemon) The Bridge on the River Kwai Movie Review (1957) | Roger Ebert Tweet The last words in David Lean 's "The Bridge on the River Kwai" are "Madness! Madness ... madness!" Although the film's two most important characters are both mad, the hero more than the villain, we're not quite certain what is intended by that final dialogue.

Part of the puzzle is caused by the film's shifting points of view. Advertisement Seen through the eyes of Col. Nicholson ( Alec Guinness ), commanding officer of a battalion of British war prisoners, the war narrows to a single task, building a bridge across the Kwai. For Shears ( William Holden ), an American who escapes from the camp, madness would be returning to the jungle. For Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), the Japanese commandant of the camp, madness and suicide are never far away as the British build a better bridge than his own men could. And to Clipton ( James Donald ), the army doctor who says the final words, they could simply mean that the final violent confusion led to unnecessary death. Most war movies are either for or against their wars. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957) is one of the few that focuses not on larger rights and wrongs but on individuals. Like Robert Graves' World War I memoir, Goodbye to All That, it shows men grimly hanging onto military discipline and pride in their units as a way of clinging to sanity. By the end of "Kwai" we are less interested in who wins than in how individual characters will behave.

The film is set in 1943, in a POW camp in Burma, along the route of a rail line the Japanese were building between Malaysia and Rangoon. Shears is already in the camp; we've seen him steal a cigarette lighter from a corpse to bribe his way into the sick bay. He watches as a column of British prisoners, led by Nicholson, marches into camp whistling "The Colonel Bogey March." Advertisement Nicholson and Saito, the commandant, are quickly involved in a faceoff. Saito wants all of the British to work on the bridge. Nicholson says the Geneva Convention states officers may not be forced to perform manual labor. He even produces a copy of the document, which Saito uses to whip him across the face, drawing blood. Nicholson is prepared to die rather than bend on principle, and eventually, in one of the film's best-known sequences, he's locked inside "the Oven"--a corrugated iron hut that stands in the sun.

The film's central relationship is between Saito and Nicholson, a professional soldier approaching his 28th anniversary of army service ("I don't suppose I've been at home more than 10 months in all that time"). The Japanese colonel is not a military pro; he learned English while studying in London, he tells Nicholson, and likes corned beef and Scotch whisky. But he is a rigidly dutiful officer, and we see him weeping privately with humiliation because Nicholson is a better bridge builder; he prepares for hara-kiri if the bridge is not ready on time. The scenes in the jungle are crisply told. We see the bridge being built, and we watch the standoff between the two colonels. Hayakawa and Guinness make a good match as they create two disciplined officers who never bend, but nevertheless quietly share the vision of completing the bridge. Advertisement Hayakawa was Hollywood's first important Asian star; he became famous with a brilliant silent performance in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Cheat" (1915).

Although he worked onstage and in films in both Japan and the United States, he was unusual among Japanese actors of his generation in his low-key delivery; in "Kwai" he doesn't bluster, but is cool and understated--as clipped as Guinness. (Incredibly, he was 68 when he played the role.) Alec Guinness, oddly enough, was not Lean's first choice for the role that won him an Oscar as best actor. Charles Laughton originally was cast as Col. Nicholson, but "could not face the heat of the Ceylon location, the ants, and being cramped in a cage," his wife, Elsa Lanchester , wrote in her autobiography. The contrasts between Laughton and Guinness are so extreme that one wonders how Lean could see both men playing the same part. Surely Laughton would have been juicier and more demonstrative. Guinness, who says in his autobiography that Lean "didn't particularly want me" for the role, played Nicholson as dry, reserved, yet burning with an intense obsession. That obsession is with building a better bridge, and finishing it on time.

The story's great irony is that once Nicholson successfully stands up to Saito, he immediately devotes himself to Saito's project as if it is his own. He suggests a better site for the bridge, he offers blueprints and timetables, and he even enters Clipton's hospital hut in search of more workers, and marches out at the head of a column of the sick and the lame. On the night before the first train crossing, he hammers into place a plaque boasting that the bridge was "designed and built by soldiers of the British army." Advertisement It is Clipton who asks him, diffidently, if they might not be accused of aiding the enemy. Not at all, Guinness replies: War prisoners must work when ordered, and besides, they are setting an example of British efficiency. "One day the war will be over, and I hope the people who use this bridge in years to come will remember how it was built, and who built it." A pleasant sentiment, but in the meantime the bridge will be used to advance the war against the Allies. Nicholson is so proud of the bridge that he essentially forgets about the war. The story in the jungle moves ahead neatly, economically, powerfully.

There is a parallel story involving Shears that is not as successful. Shears escapes, is taken to a hospital in British-occupied Ceylon, drinks martinis and frolics with a nurse, and then is asked by Maj. Warden ( Jack Hawkins ) to return as part of a plan to blow up the bridge. "Are you crazy?" Shears cries, but is blackmailed by Warden's threat to tell the Americans he has been impersonating an officer. Holden's character, up until the time their guerrilla mission begins, seems fabricated; he's unconvincing playing a shirker, and his heroism at the end seems more plausible. Lean handles the climax with precision and suspense. There's a nice use of the boots of a sentry on the bridge, sending hollow reverberations down to the men wiring the bridge with plastic explosives. Meanwhile, the British celebrate completion of the bridge with an improbable musical revue that doesn't reflect what is known about the brutal conditions of the POW camps. Advertisement The next morning brings an elaborate interplay of characters and motives, as the sound of the approaching train creates suspense, while Nicholson, incredibly, seems ready to expose the sabotage rather than see his beloved bridge go down.

(The shot of the explosion and the train tumbling into the river uncannily mirrors a similar scene in Buster Keaton's silent classic "The General," in which the train looks more convincing.) Although David Lean (1908-1991) won his reputation and perhaps even his knighthood on the basis of the epic films he directed, starting with "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in 1957, there's a contrarian argument that his best work was done before the Oscars started to pile up. After "Kwai" came " Lawrence of Arabia ," " Doctor Zhivago ," " Ryan's Daughter " and " A Passage to India "; all but "Ryan" were nominated for best picture, and the first two won. Before "Kwai" he made smaller, more tightly wound films, including "Brief Encounter," " Oliver Twist " and " Great Expectations " (1946).

There is a majesty in the later films (except for "Ryan's Daughter") that compensates for the loss of human detail, but in "Kwai" he still has an eye for the personal touch, as in Saito's private moments and Nicholson's smug inspection of the finished bridge. There is something almost Lear-like in his final flash of sanity: "What have I done!" Popular Blog Posts What Have I Done? - The Bridge on the River Kwai (8/8) Movie CLIP (1957) HD - YouTube What Have I Done? - The Bridge on the River Kwai (8/8) Movie CLIP (1957) HD Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 25, 2012 The Bridge on the River Kwai movie clips: BUY THE MOVIE: Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: CLIP DESCRIPTION: Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) comes to the realization that the bridge must be destroyed.

In his final moments he falls on the detonator exploding the bridge. FILM DESCRIPTION: The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly arrived British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). Saito insists that Nicholson order his men to build a bridge over the river Kwai, which will be used to transport Japanese munitions. Nicholson refuses, despite all the various "persuasive" devices at Saito's disposal. Finally, Nicholson agrees, not so much to cooperate with his captor as to provide a morale-boosting project for the military engineers under his command. The colonel will prove that, by building a better bridge than Saito's men could build, the British soldier is a superior being even when under the thumb of the enemy. As the bridge goes up, Nicholson becomes obsessed with completing it to perfection, eventually losing sight of the fact that it will benefit the Japanese.

Meanwhile, American POW Shears (William Holden), having escaped from the camp, agrees to save himself from a court martial by leading a group of British soldiers back to the camp to destroy Nicholson's bridge. Upon his return, Shears realizes that Nicholson's mania to complete his project has driven him mad. Filmed in Ceylon, Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness. It also won Best Screenplay for Pierre Boulle, the author of the novel on which the film was based, even though the actual writers were blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were given their Oscars under the table. CREDITS: Cast: James Donald, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, William Holden Director: David Lean Producers: Sam Spiegel, Jim Painten Screenwriters: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman, Pierre Boulle WHO ARE WE? The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Made by movie fans, for movie fans.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - IMDb IMDb ‘Generation KKK’: Why A&E is Considering Rebranding Their Show After Backlash 22 December 2016 4:51 PM, UTC There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Bridge on the River Kwai ( 1957 ) PG | From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors - while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it.

Director: a list of 40 titles created 10 Nov 2011 a list of 25 titles created 12 Dec 2011 a list of 39 titles created 01 Apr 2012 a list of 35 titles created 07 Apr 2012 a list of 36 titles created 21 Jun 2012 Title: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 8.2/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 7 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards » Videos Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. Director: John Sturges The story of T.E. Lawrence , the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. Director: David Lean An in-depth examination of the ways in which the U.S.

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Director: Stuart Rosenberg A British team is sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel. Director: J. Lee Thompson Edit Storyline The film deals with the situation of British prisoners of war during World War II who are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge but, under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson, they are persuaded that the bridge should be constructed as a symbol of British morale, spirit and dignity in adverse circumstances. At first, the prisoners admire Nicholson when he bravely endures torture rather than compromise his principles for the benefit of the Japanese commandant Saito. He is an honorable but arrogant man, who is slowly revealed to be a deluded obsessive. He convinces himself that the bridge is a monument to British character, but actually is a monument to himself, and his insistence on its construction becomes a subtle form of collaboration with the enemy. Unknown to him, the Allies have sent a mission into the jungle, led by Warden and an American, Shears, to blow up the bridge. Written by alfiehitchie It spans a whole new world of entertainment!

Genres: Rated PG for mild war violence | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 14 December 1957 (USA) See more » Also Known As: El puente sobre el río Kwai See more » Filming Locations: 161 min Sound Mix: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (RCA Sound Recording)| Mono (35 mm prints) (RCA Sound Recording)| 4-Track Stereo (Linear PCM) Color: Did You Know? Trivia Sam Spiegel asked Ben Gazzara , the star of his previous film The Strange One (1957), to play Lt. Joyce, but he was unavailable. Cliff Robertson was also considered. See more » Goofs The movie credits have only one 'n' in Alec Guinness ' name (this has been corrected in the "restored" version). See more » Quotes Major Hughes : Jennings has a plan, sir. He seems to think... Colonel Nicholson : Yes, I'm sure Jennings has a plan. But escape? Where, into this jungle? That fellow Saito was right: no need for barbed wire or fence, one chance in a hundred of survival.

I'm sure a man of Commander Shears' experience will attest to that. Commander Shears : I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to one. But may I add another word, Colonel? The odds against survival in this camp are even worse. (L.A. CA) – See all my reviews I recently saw The Bridge on the River Kwai at the Cinerama Dome, and it was quite spectacular. Unlike some of today's grand adventure films, you get to know the characters along with seeing great scenes of acting and cinematography. Alec Guinness is at the top of his form as the single minded Colonel Nicholson. The scene between Nicholson and Saito in Saito's hut is remarkable. Nicholson still will not concede defeat, he even takes offense that other officers of different armies gave in and worked alongside the enlisted men. Saito can't understand Nicholson's acceptance of his punishment, and it drives him crazy. The film's plot has two stories that are beautifully intertwined. Shears' return to the bridge is his only way to escape the bridge.

In the film's final act, the tension is turned up as the British commandos try to blow up the bridge, and a train, and only then does Nicholson realise what the bridge really is. The Bridge on the River Kwai is one film that is hard to top, the only film able to do that is Lawrence of Arabia, both directed by the meticulous eye of David Lean. One director who could put intimacy in epic circumstances. 34 of 43 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes The Bridge On The River Kwai The Bridge On The River Kwai IMDb Link: It spans a whole new world of entertainment! Synopsis: The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly arrived British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). Saito insists that Nicholson order his men to build a bridge over the river Kwai, which will be used to transport Japanese munitions. Nicholson refuses, despite all the various "persuasive" devices at Saito's disposal.

Finally, Nicholson agrees, not so much to cooperate with his captor as to provide a morale-boosting project for the military engineers under his command. The colonel will prove that, by building a better bridge than Saito's men could build, the British soldier is a superior being even when under the thumb of the enemy. As the bridge goes up, Nicholson becomes obsessed with completing it to perfection, eventually losing sight of the fact that it will benefit the Japanese. Meanwhile, American POW Shears (William Holden), having escaped from the camp, agrees to save himself from a court martial by leading a group of British soldiers back to the camp to destroy Nicholson's bridge. Upon his return, Shears realizes that Nicholson's mania to complete his project has driven him mad. Filmed in Ceylon, Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness. It also won Best Screenplay for Pierre Boulle, the author of the novel on which the film was based, even though the actual writers were blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were given their Oscars under the table.

Country: Oscar: Best Actor in a Leading Role 1958 Alec Guinness Oscar: Best Cinematography 1958 Best Cinematography & Jack Hildyard Oscar: Best Director 1958 Best Director & David Lean Oscar: Best Film Editing 1958 Best Film Editing & Peter Taylor (I) Oscar: Best Music, Scoring 1958 Malcolm Arnold Oscar: Best Picture 1958 Best Picture & Sam Spiegel (I) Oscar: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium 1958 Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman & Michael Wilson (I) BAFTA Film Award: Best British Actor 1958 Alec Guinness BAFTA Film Award: Best British Film 1958 BAFTA Film Award: Best British Screenplay 1958 Pierre Boulle BAFTA Film Award: Best Film from any Source 1958 Best Cinematography Award 1958 Jack Hildyard David: Best Foreign Production (Migliore Produzione Straniera) 1958 Sam Spiegel (I) DGA Award: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures 1958 Gus Agosti, David

 Lean & Ted Sturgis Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture - Drama 1958 Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama 1958 Alec Guinness Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture Director 1958 David Lean Golden Screen 1984 Golden Screen with 1 Star 1984 NBR Award: Best Actor 1957 Alec Guinness NBR Award: Best Director 1957 David Lean NBR Award: Best Picture 1957 NBR Award: Best Supporting Actor 1957 Sessue Hayakawa NYFCC Award: Best Actor 1957 Alec Guinness NYFCC Award: Best Director 1957 David Lean NYFCC Award: Best Film 1957 Web Links: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Pages: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) Background The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), the memorable, epic World War II adventure/action, anti-war drama, was the first of director David Lean's major multi-million dollar, wide-screen super-spectaculars (his later epics included Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and

 Doctor Zhivago (1965)).

The screenplay was based upon French author Pierre Boulle's 1954 novel of the same name. [Boulle was better known for his screenplay for Planet of the Apes (1963).] Although he received sole screenplay credit, other deliberately uncredited, blacklisted co-scripting authors (exiled Carl Foreman - who scripted High Noon (1952) - and Michael Wilson) had collaborated with him, but were denied elibigility. They were post-humously credited years later, in late 1984, in a special Academy ceremony. [When the film was restored, the names of Wilson and Foreman were added to the credits.] [The film's story was loosely based on a true World War II incident, and the real-life character of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey.

One of a number of Allied POW's, the senior British officer Toosey was in charge of his men from late 1942 through May 1943 when they were ordered to build two Kwai River bridges in Burma (first a temporary one made of wood completed in February 1943 and a permanent one of steel/concrete completed a few months later), to help move Japanese supplies and troops from Bangkok to Rangoon. In reality, the actual bridge for the Burma Railway - depicted in the film - spanned the Mae Khlung River, not the Kwai River. It took 8 months to build (rather than two months). The two bridges were actually used until they were destroyed two years after their construction by Allied bombings - in late June, 1945. The memoirs of the 'real' Colonel Nicholson were compiled into a 1991 book by Peter Davies entitled The Man Behind the Bridge: Colonel Toosey and the River Kwai.

Today, the steel/concrete bridge has been rebuilt and is used by passenger trains - the river was renamed Kwae Yai ('Big Kwae') to accommodate tourists searching for the bridge from the film.] The film was the number one box-office success of the year (the highest grossing film) and it won critical acclaim as well - eight Academy Award nominations and seven Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Director, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Pierre Boulle), Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Film Editing. Only Sessue Hayakawa, a former silent screen star and one of the first important Asian stars, who was nominated for his Best Supporting Actor role as the hot-tempered Japanese colonel, lost. The film created an additional stir when it debuted on ABC television on September 25, 1966. The date was dubbed "Black Sunday" due to the loss of business at movie theatres on account of its popular airing.

Shot on location in the steamy, colorful, dense tropical jungles of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the story's theme is the futility and insanity of war, and the irony of British pride, viewed through the psychological, confrontational struggle of imperialistic wills between a proud and rigid British and Japanese Colonel. The two protagonists are symbols of different, opposing cultures, but actually they share much in common - egotistical pride, dedication, a belief in saving "face," and stubborn, inflexible obedience to their class, military codes and rules. With an all-male lead cast, themes of heroism, pride, military tradition, hierarchy, and power are masterfully interwoven into a plot that is ambiguous enough to allow for various viewpoints and perspectives. The Story Before and during the title credits, an evocative opening shows a single soaring, circling hawk, free from restraints. The aerial camera view pulls back to reveal a vast, green, and steamy tropical jungle (from the hawk's point of view), then descends into the teeming, chattering, and dense underbrush of the forest to pan by a row of crude graveyards (in the jungle and next to train tracks), marked with makeshift wooden crosses.

A train with a machine-gunner on top whistles as it roars past the graves, coming upon POWs in a World War II Japanese prisoner of war camp. The camp inhabitants are building one link in the infamous Bangkok-Rangoon "death railway." A newly arrived regiment of defeated British POWs is marched into the camp from the Southeast Asian Burmese/Siamese jungle - it is 1943. Two current, long-time prisoners, one of whom is handsome American Navy sailor "Commander" Shears (William Holden), are digging graves to bury comrades. [In the original novel, Shears was a dedicated officer, but here, he's a typical Hollywood hunk character.] Sweltering, Shears notices the new arrivals and jokes: Shears: Those new prisoners see us diggin' graves, they might all run away. Japanese overseer Captain Kanematsu (Henry Okawa): No time for jokes. Finish work...Dig dig. Shears and his Australian companion Weaver are placed on the sick list after bribing the Japanese Captain with a cigarette lighter (taken from one of the corpses). Shears lacks a commitment or adherence to any specific code or ideal other than to himself - and toward his own survival.

His cynically-stated goals are to stay alive and eventually escape, as he turns and brashly offers a mocking eulogy for one of his compatriots just interred: Here lies Corporal Herbert Thompson, serial number 01234567, valiant member of the King's own, and Queen's own, or something, who died of beriberi in the year of our Lord 1943. For the greater glory of...(pause) what did he die for?...I don't mock the grave or the man. May he rest in peace. He found little enough of it while he was alive. The camp's dutiful Japanese commandant, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa), is interrupted and told of the arrival of the battalion. In his bamboo hut, Saito is kneeling and dressed in a traditional kimono, with a Japanese print behind him.

He hears the distant, insidious whistling, the tune of the "Colonel Bogey March," [which became one of the year's hit records] as the British troops approach closer to the camp, insolently announcing their arrival, swelling the sound to a rousing, defiant crescendo by the time of their appearance. Now uniformed and wearing his ceremonial sword, Saito emerges from his hut, salutes, and walks up to the newly-arrived, stiff-lipped ranking British commandant, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) in the open, dirt yard. He orders the British prisoners (including all the officers) to build a bridge - beginning the next day after a day of rest. He also offers the inmates a motto: 'Be happy in your work'. [This scene was referenced, in homage, in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), in the speech of the Klingon Commander (William Morgan Sheppard) of a high-security work/prison camp on the ice world of planetoid Rura Penthe.

Rura Penthe was itself a reference to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne - the name of the slave labor camp that inspired Captain Nemo's rage against society and that was the location of his death.]: Nicholson: My name is Nicholson. Saito: I am Colonel Saito. (He steps up on a box to view the prisoners and address them.) In the name of his Imperial Majesty, I welcome you. I am the commanding officer of this camp, which is Camp 16 along the great railroad which will soon connect Bangkok with Rangoon. You British prisoners have been chosen to build a bridge across the River Kwai. It will be pleasant work requiring skill, and officers will work as well as men. The Japanese Army cannot have idle mouths to feed. If you work hard, you will be treated well. But if you do not work hard, you will be punished! A word to you about escape. There is no barbed wire, no stockade, no watchtower. They are not necessary. We are an island in the jungle. Escape is impossible. You would die. Today you rest. Tomorrow you will begin.

Let me remind you of General Yamashita's motto: 'Be happy in your work.' Dismissed! In brief cutaways to Shears from the side, the chief 'know-it-all' gravedigger watches with a mixture of amusement and disgust. He condescendingly mocks the scene from the open-air hospital hut at a distance. Brave, proud, and determined, but obstinate, ramrod British officer Colonel Nicholson refuses to surrender full command of his regiment. Maintaining an iron-clad fixed position, he immediately locks horns with Saito by arguing that according to the Geneva Convention, officers are not permitted to do manual labor alongside enlisted men: Nicholson: I heard your remarks just now sir. I can assure you, my men will carry on in the way one expects of the British soldier. And naturally, my officers and I will be responsible for their conduct. Now sir, you may have overlooked the fact that the use of officers for manual labor is expressly forbidden by the Geneva Convention. Saito: Is that so? Nicholson: I happen to have a copy of the Convention with me and would be glad to let you glance through it if you wish. Saito: That will not be necessary.

(Saito turns and walks into his hut, as lightning claps are heard from tropical storm clouds overhead - a brief storm passes through.) The malingering "Commander" Shears, shaving in the medical hut, has lied about his rank to get preferential treatment reserved for officers. He tells the touring Nicholson that he and the Australian are the only remaining survivors of the original POWs who built the camp: "Mostly Aussies, some Lime, some British, Indians, Burmese, Siamese...They died, of malaria, dysentery, beriberi, gangrene. Other causes of death: famine, overwork, bullet wounds, snake bites, Saito. And then there were some who just got tired of living." As Shears is examined by Army POW Doctor Major Clipton (James Donald) on a cot, he tells Nicholson: "Don't bother about me, Colonel. I'm not anxious to get off the sick list." After Nicholson marches off - thinking Saito is 'a reasonable type' and sympathetic to his point of view about manual labor, Shears is amused: I can think of a lot of things to call Saito, but reasonable, that's a new one.

In a late-night meeting between Nicholson and his officers, attended also by Shears and Clipton, the men contemplate the odds of successful escape and survival. Nicholson determines that escape is not only impossible but not permitted: Shears: Oh, I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to 1...But may I add another word, Colonel...The odds against survival in this camp are even worse. You've seen the graveyard. There you realize. You give up hope of escape. To even stop thinking about it is like accepting a death sentence. Nicholson: Why haven't you tried to escape, Commander? Shears: Oh, I've been biding my time, waiting for the right moment, the right company. Nicholson: I understand how you feel. Of course, it's normally the duty of a captured soldier to attempt escape. But my men and I are involved in a curious legal point of which you are unaware. In Singapore, we were ordered to surrender by Command Headquarters, ordered, mind you. Therefore, in our case, escape might well be an infraction of military law. Interesting? Dr. Clipton: Yes, interesting point. Shears: I'm sorry sir.

I didn't quite follow you. You mean you intend to uphold the letter of the law, no matter what it costs. Nicholson: Without law, Commander, there is no civilization. Shears: You just took my point. Here, there is no civilization. Nicholson: Then, we have the opportunity to introduce it. I suggest that we drop the subject of escape. As an English gentleman, Nicholson insists that his men be treated as soldiers and that the officers serve only in supervisory capacities, according to the military code of behavior: "I want everything to go off without a hitch starting first thing tomorrow morning. And remember this: our men must always feel they are still commanded by us and not by the Japanese. So long as they have that idea to cling to, they'll be soldiers and not slaves." Shears knows better through experience: "I hope they can remain soldiers, Colonel. As for me, I'm just a slave, a living slave." Both commanders blindly follow their own rigid military codes, soon coming to an impasse. The next morning, Saito orders "the English prisoners" to finish the bridge by a rigid deadline - the 12th day of May, working under the direction of a Japanese engineer.

As commanding warden, Saito insists that all the men work without regard to rank: All men will work. Your officers will work beside you. This is only just. For it is they who betray you by surrender. Your shame is their dishonor. It is they who told you: 'Better to live like a coolie than die like a hero.' It is they who brought you here, not I. Therefore, they will join you in useful labor. That is all. Stoically and stubbornly, Nicholson keeps his men standing in the hot sun, rather than letting his officers work side-by-side in physical labor with the enlisted men. He cites Article 27 of the Geneva Convention to defend his principles. Equally determined in the stand-off with his armed men behind him, Saito slaps Nicholson across the face with the tattered book, drawing blood from his nose. Saito: You speak to me of code. What code? The coward's code. (He throws the book away to the ground.) What do you know of the soldier's code? Of bushido? Nothing. You are unworthy of command.

(He breaks Nicholson's commander's stick in two and throws it to the ground.) Nicholson: Since you refuse to abide by the laws of the civilized world, we must consider ourselves absolved from our duty to obey you. My officers will not do manual labor. Saito: We shall see. (He steps to the side and addresses the prisoners.) All English present prisoners to work! (All the prisoners, excluding the officers, are marched away toward work.) When Nicholson still refuses to give the order for his officers to begin work, and his men obey him, Saito persuasively calls for a jeep with a machine-gun in the back, pulling it up in front of the British commander and his officers. From the hospital hut, Shears tells the doctor, Major Clipton that he fears the worst about Saito's threat: "He's going to do it. Believe me. He's really going to do it." Before Saito reaches the count of three, Clipton runs out and interrupts the tense stand-off: Colonel Saito. I've seen and heard everything. So has every man in the hospital. There are too many witnesses. You'll never get away with calling it a mass escape.

Most of those men can't walk...Is this your soldier's code? Murdering unarmed men? (Saito looks up at the blistering hot sun, and slowly walks into his hut. Flies are heard buzzing on the soundtrack as the men remain at attention.) Hours later at the end of the work day as the roasting sun is finally setting, the work detail of enlisted men are marched back to the prison yard. The defiant officers are still standing at attention in their same places (all holding fast to their positions - except for one who dropped to the ground from the intense heat). All officers are ordered to "the punishment hut" (or "the hole"), while Nicholson is summoned into Saito's headquarters. Hands raised, the men shout their support for their Colonel when he disappears inside. A few moments later, his legs limp, Nicholson is dragged to a corrugated metal-encased sweat box (called "the oven" by Shears) to be tortured under the blazing sun so that he will change his mind. The men pick up the tune: "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" and then offer three cheers.

Taking advantage of the situation, Shears successfully manages to escape from the camp into the almost impenetrable jungle (his two companions from the hospital, the Aussie Corporal Weaver and British Lieutenant Jennings are not so lucky), but he is shot and falls into a rushing river. Down-river, he manages to swim to safety. [Scenes of Shears' escape and struggles are alternatingly cross-cut with scenes back at the camp.] Construction resumes on the bridge, but progress is slow, ineffectual and behind schedule, fouled by accidental mishaps and engineering failures - without the presence of the morale-boosting commander. After three days, Clipton, the British medical officer, is granted an audience with Saito. On the wall in Saito's quarters, behind a scale model of the bridge, hangs an American pin-up calendar showing the month of February ("Joey's Garage, Elk City, Ohio"). Clipton pleads to him that Nicholson's health is deteriorating, and that he is only following the rules of the Geneva Treaty Accord.

Clipton learns that the Japanese commandant blames Nicholson (still in the oven) for delays in the bridge construction: "Because of your colonel's stubbornness, we are far behind schedule." When Saito accuses the workers of sabotage and threatens shooting them, Clipton points out to Saito how gunning the soldiers down would violate his own set of principles, illustrating how the Japanese colonel is caught in a no-win dilemma - he will lose face if the bridge is not completed by the rigid deadline, and he will also lose face if he accedes to Nicholson's demands: Saito: Enlisted prisoners sabotaged the work. I have seen it. I could have them all shot. Clipton: Then, who would build your bridge? Besides, are you sure it is sabotage? Perhaps the men don't work well without their own officers to direct them. Saito: My officers will direct them. Your officers will work beside them. Clipton: That's for Colonel Nicholson to decide. As he pointed out, it's against the rules. Saito: Do not speak to me of rules. This is war. This is not a game of cricket. He's mad, your Colonel. Quite mad.

Clipton is allowed five minutes in the oven to speak with Nicholson during his severe punishment. The imprisoned, highly-principled commander also believes that Saito is mad. In parallel fashion, he refuses to give in: Nicholson: That man's [Saito] the worst commanding officer I've ever come across. Actually, I think he's mad...Blackmail... Clipton: I know, sir. He means it. I'm sure he does. It's a question of face, pure and simple. He can't give in. Nicholson: It's still blackmail. Clipton: Sir, you can't stand much more of this. And wouldn't the officers be better off working than suffocating in that hole? The men are doing a wonderful job. They're going as slow as they dare. But Saito has cut their food rations. And if he makes the sick men work, well, they're going to die. That's all there is to it. Nicholson: Yes Clipton, I understand, truly. But don't you see. It's a matter of principle. If we give in now, there'll be no end to it. No...I'm adamant.

I will not have an officer from my battalion working as a coolie! Clipton wonders to himself after having witnessed both colonels calling each other mad: "Are they both mad or am I going mad? Or is it the sun?" He gazes upwards into the blinding sun. Into the searing sun elsewhere walks a weakened and dehydrated Shears. Vultures begin to gather above him as he crawls through a parched wilderness. A vulture's shadow turns into a colorful kite (of a red-headed bird), the playtoy of some local village boys - he is rescued. In the camp, Saito addresses the enlisted men about a lack of progress in the bridge's construction - there are only three months remaining until the deadline. Saito announces that chief engineer Lt. Miura (K. Katsumoto) is "unworthy of command" and has been removed from his post. The men are given a day's rest ("All work and no play make Jack a dull boy," rationalizes the ingratiating Saito) and mail (and Red Cross packages) are delivered to them. However, they will begin all over again the next day with Saito personally in charge of the bridge construction.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1/8) Movie CLIP - The Coward's Code (1957) HD - YouTube The Bridge on the River Kwai (1/8) Movie CLIP - The Coward's Code (1957) HD Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 25, 2012 The Bridge on the River Kwai movie clips: BUY THE MOVIE: Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: CLIP DESCRIPTION: Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) orders the British officers to perform manual labor. Based on the rules of the Geneva convention, Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) refuses to obey the order.

FILM DESCRIPTION: The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of wills rages between camp commander Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly arrived British colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness). Saito insists that Nicholson order his men to build a bridge over the river Kwai, which will be used to transport Japanese munitions. Nicholson refuses, despite all the various "persuasive" devices at Saito's disposal. Finally, Nicholson agrees, not so much to cooperate with his captor as to provide a morale-boosting project for the military engineers under his command. The colonel will prove that, by building a better bridge than Saito's men could build, the British soldier is a superior being even when under the thumb of the enemy. As the bridge goes up, Nicholson becomes obsessed with completing it to perfection, eventually losing sight of the fact that it will benefit the Japanese. Meanwhile, American POW Shears (William Holden), having escaped from the camp, agrees to save himself from a court martial by leading a group of British soldiers back to the camp to destroy Nicholson's bridge.

Upon his return, Shears realizes that Nicholson's mania to complete his project has driven him mad. Filmed in Ceylon, Bridge on the River Kwai won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for the legendary British filmmaker David Lean, and Best Actor for Guinness. It also won Best Screenplay for Pierre Boulle, the author of the novel on which the film was based, even though the actual writers were blacklisted writers Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, who were given their Oscars under the table. CREDITS: Cast: Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa Director: David Lean Producers: Sam Spiegel, Jim Painten Screenwriters: Michael Wilson, Carl Foreman, Pierre Boulle WHO ARE WE? The MOVIECLIPS channel is the largest collection of licensed movie clips on the web. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. Made by movie fans, for movie fans.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MOVIE CHANNELS: The Bridge on the River Kwai | Moviepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia The Bridge on the River Kwai 5,308pages on The Bridge on the River Kwai Original release poster Box office $27,200,000 The Bridge on the River Kwai is a British 1957 World War II film by David Lean based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle . The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43 for its historical setting. It stars Alec Guinness , Sessue Hayakawa , Jack Hawkins and William Holden . In 1997, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry . Contents Edit Two prisoners of war are burying a corpse in the graveyard of a Japanese World War II prison camp in southern Burma . One, American Navy Commander Shears ( William Holden ), routinely bribes guards to get sick duty to avoid hard labour.

A large contingent of British prisoners arrives, marching in defiantly whistling the Colonel Bogey March under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson ( Alec Guinness ). The Japanese camp commander, Colonel Saito ( Sessue Hayakawa ), addresses them, informing them of his rules. He insists that all prisoners, regardless of rank, work on the construction of a bridge over the Kwai River , part of a railroad that is to link Bangkok, Thailand and Rangoon , Burma . The next morning, when Saito orders everyone to work, Nicholson commands his officers to stand fast. He points out that the Geneva Conventions state that captured officers are exempt from manual labour. Saito is infuriated, but Nicholson refuses to back down, even after Saito has a machine gun set up and threatens to have the officers shot. Saito is dissuaded by Major Clipton ( James Donald ), a British medical officer, who warns of an inquiry and scandal should Saito carry through with his threat; instead, the Japanese commander leaves Nicholson and his officers standing in the intense heat. As the day wears on, one of them collapses, but Nicholson and the rest are still standing defiantly at attention when the men return from the day's work.

The British officers are then placed in a punishment cage, while Nicholson is locked into his own box to suffer in the heat. Nicholson, however, refuses to budge. Construction falls far behind schedule, due in part to "accidents" arranged by the prisoners. Saito discloses to Nicholson that should he fail to meet his deadline, he would be obliged to commit seppuku (ritual suicide). Finally, he reluctantly releases Nicholson, using the anniversary of Japan's great victory in the Russo-Japanese War as an excuse to exempt the officers from work. Nicholson and his officers triumphantly walk through a jubilant reception. Saito for his part privately breaks down in tears. Nicholson sets off on an inspection and is shocked by what he finds. He decides to have his men work in earnest in order to maintain morale. He orders Captain Reeves (Peter Williams) and Major Hughes (John Boxer) to come up with designs for a proper bridge, despite its military value to the Japanese. Meanwhile, Shears and two other men attempt to escape. The others are killed, but Shears falls into the river and is presumed dead.

After many days in the jungle, he stumbles into a Siamese village, whose residents help him get to the British. Shears recovers in a hospital in Colombo , Ceylon . File:Ann-sears.jpg Major Warden (Jack Hawkins), a member of the British Special Forces, blackmails Shears into joining his mission to destroy the bridge. Warden knows that Shears is not Shears at all, but an enlisted man. The two men had survived the sinking of their ship. When the officer was killed by a Japanese patrol, Shears switched uniforms with him, hoping to get preferential treatment in captivity. It didn't work, but he then had no choice but to continue the impersonation. In return for his services, Shears will not be charged with impersonating an officer, an offense punishable by death. An untested Lieutenant Joyce ( Geoffrey Horne ) and Captain Chapman make up the rest of the team. Back in the camp, an obsessed Nicholson drives his men to complete the project on time. Ironically, the colonel even volunteers his junior officers for physical labour - provided their Japanese counterparts pitch in as well.

As the Japanese engineers had chosen a poor site, the original bridge is abandoned and construction of a whole new bridge is commenced 400 yards downriver. The commandos parachute in, but Chapman is killed in a bad landing. The rest make their way to the river, assisted by native women porters and their village chief, Yai (M.R.B. Chakrabandhu). In an encounter with a Japanese patrol, Joyce freezes and Warden gets shot in the foot as a result. Nonetheless, the trio get to the bridge in time. Shears and Joyce wire explosives to it under cover of darkness. The next day, a Japanese train full of soldiers and important officials is scheduled to be the first to use the bridge; Warden wants to blow it up just as the train passes over. File:BarnacleBill shot.jpg As dawn approaches, the trio are horrified to see that the wire to the explosives has been exposed by the receding river. Making a final inspection, Nicholson spots the wire and brings it to Saito's attention. As the train is heard approaching, the two men frantically hurry down to the riverbank, pulling up and following the wire towards Joyce, who is waiting by the detonator.

When they get too close, Joyce breaks cover and stabs Saito to death. Nicholson yells for help and tries to stop Joyce (who cannot bring himself to kill Nicholson) from getting to the detonator. A firefight erupts. When Joyce is hit, Shears swims across the river, but he too is shot, just before he reaches Nicholson. Recognizing Shears, Nicholson suddenly comes to his senses and exclaims, "What have I done?" Warden desperately fires his mortar , mortally wounding Nicholson. The colonel stumbles over to the detonator plunger and falls on it as he dies, just in time to blow up the bridge and send the train hurtling into the river. Major Clipton has witnessed the carnage unfold; he shakes his head incredulously and utters, "Madness! ...

Madness!" Cast Harold Goodwin as Private Baker Historical accuracy File:Bridge over River Kwai.jpg The largely fictitious film plot is based on the building in 1943 of one of the railway bridges over the Mae Klong —renamed Khwae Yai in the 1960s—at a place called Tha Ma Kham, five kilometers from the Thai town of Kanchanaburi . According to the CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission): "The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar).

Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre." The incidents portrayed in the film are mostly fictional, and though it depicts bad conditions and suffering caused by the building of the Burma Railway and its bridges, to depict the reality would have been too appalling for filmgoers. Historically the conditions were much worse than depicted. [1] The real senior Allied officer at the bridge was British Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey . Some consider the film to be an insulting parody of Toosey. [2] On a BBC Timewatch programme, a former prisoner at the camp states that it is unlikely that a man like the fictional Nicholson could have risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel; and if he had, he would have been "quietly eliminated" by the other prisoners. Julie Summers, in her book The Colonel of Tamarkan, writes that Pierre Boulle, who had been a prisoner of war in Thailand, created the fictional Nicholson character as an amalgam of his memories of collaborating French officers. [2] Toosey was very different from Nicholson and was certainly not a collaborator who felt obliged to work with the Japanese.

Toosey in fact did as much to delay the building of the bridge as possible. Whereas Nicholson disapproves of acts of sabotage and other deliberate attempts to delay progress, Toosey encouraged this: white ants were collected in large numbers to eat the wooden structures, and the concrete was badly mixed. [2] [3] Some of the characters in the film have the names of real people who were involved in the Burma Railway. Neither their roles nor their characters appear to be portrayed accurately. For example, historically a Sergeant-Major Risaburo Saito was second in command at the camp. In the film a colonel of the same name is camp commandant. In reality, Saito was respected by his prisoners for being comparatively merciful and fair towards them; Toosey later defended him in his war crimes trial after the war, and the two became friends. The destruction of the bridge as depicted in the film is entirely fictional. In fact, two bridges were built: a temporary wooden bridge and a permanent steel/concrete bridge a few months later. Both bridges were used for two years, until they were destroyed by Allied aerial bombing. The steel bridge was repaired and is still in use today.

Production Edit The screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson , were on the Hollywood blacklist and could only work on the film in secret. The two did not collaborate on the script; Wilson took over after Lean was dissatisfied with Foreman's work. The official credit was given to Pierre Boulle (who did not speak English), and the resulting Oscar for Best Screenplay (Adaptation) was awarded to him. Only in 1984 did the Academy rectify the situation by retroactively awarding the Oscar to Foreman and Wilson, posthumously in both cases. At about the same time, a new release of the film finally gave them proper screen credit. [citation needed] Reportedly, Sessue Hayakawa edited his copy of the script so that it only contained his own lines of dialogue; thus, he did not know that his character was to be killed off at the end of the film. [citation needed] The film was relatively faithful to the novel, with two major exceptions. Shears, who is a British commando officer like Warden in the book, became an American sailor who escapes from the POW camp.

Also, in the book, the bridge is not destroyed: the train plummets into the river from a secondary charge placed by Warden, but Nicholson (never realizing "what have I done?") does not fall onto the plunger, and the bridge suffers only minor damage. Filming Edit Many directors were considered for the project, among them John Ford , William Wyler, Howard Hawks, Fred Zinnemann, and Orson Welles . Producer Sam Spiegel later said that David Lean, then virtually unknown outside of the United Kingdom, was chosen "in absence of anyone else." [citation needed] David Lean clashed with his cast members on multiple occasions, particularly Alec Guinness and James Donald, who thought the novel was anti-British. Lean had a lengthy row with Guinness over how to play the role of Nicholson; Guinness wanted to play the part with a sense of humor and sympathy, while Lean thought Nicholson should be "a bore". On another occasion, Lean and Guinness argued over the scene where Nicholson reflects on his career in the army. Lean filmed the scene from behind Guinness, and exploded in anger when Guinness asked him why he was doing this.

After Guinness was done with the scene, Lean said "Now you can all fuck off and go home, you English actors. Thank God that I'm starting work tomorrow with an American actor ( William Holden )". [4] Alec Guinness later said that he subconsciously based his walk while emerging from "the Oven" on that of his son Matthew when he was recovering from polio . He called his walk from the Oven to Saito's hut while being saluted by his men the "finest work I'd ever done". Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current during a break from filming; Geoffrey Horne saved his life. [citation needed] The film was an international co-production between companies in the UK and the United States . It is set in Thailand , but was filmed mostly near Kitulgala , Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), with a few scenes shot in England. The filming of the bridge explosion was to be done on March 10, 1957 , in the presence of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike , then Prime Minister of Ceylon , and a team of government dignitaries.

However, cameraman Freddy Ford was unable to get out of the way of the explosion in time, and Lean had to stop filming. The train crashed into a generator on the other side of the bridge and was wrecked. It was repaired in time to be blown up the next morning, with Bandaranaike and his entourage present. [citation needed] According to Turner Classic Movies , the producers nearly suffered a catastrophe following the filming of the bridge explosion. To ensure they captured the one-time event, multiple cameras from several angles were used. The film was shipped to London by air freight for processing. When the shipment failed to arrive, a world-wide search for the film was undertaken. To the producers' horror the film containers were found a week later on an airport tarmac in Cairo, sitting in the broiling Egyptian sun. Though it was not exposed to sunlight, the heat-sensitive color film stock should have been hopelessly ruined. However, when processed the shots were perfect and appeared in the film. Music Edit A memorable feature of the film is the tune that is whistled by the POWs—the " Colonel Bogey March "—when they enter the camp. [5] The piece was originally written in 1914 by Kenneth Alford .

It was accompanied by a counter-melody (known as " The River Kwai March ") written by the film's composer, Malcolm Arnold , and played by the off-screen orchestra taking over from the whistlers. Mitch Miller had a hit with a recording of both marches. Besides serving as an example of British fortitude and dignity in the face of privation, the "Colonel Bogey March" suggested a specific symbol of defiance to British film-goers, as its melody was tied to a vulgar verse about Hitler , the leader of Nazi Germany and Japan's principal ally during the war. Although the mocking lyrics were not used in the film, British audience members of the time knew them well enough to mentally sing along when the tune was heard. The soundtrack of the film is largely diegetic ; background music is not widely used. In many tense, dramatic scenes, only the sounds of nature are used. An example of this is when commandos Warden and Joyce hunt a fleeing Japanese soldier through the jungle, desperate to prevent him from alerting other troops. Arnold won an Academy Award for the movie's score.

Awards Variety reported that this film was the #1 moneymaker of 1958, with domestic rentals of $ 18,000,000. [6] The second highest moneymaker of 1958 was Peyton Place at $ 12,000,000; in third place was Sayonara at $ 10,500,000. [6] Mistakes Edit There are some prints of the film in which Alec Guinness' name is misspelled "Guiness" in the credits. In all the early prints Guinness' name was misspelled in the opening credits but correctly spelled in the closing credits. This was finally corrected when Columbia issued an anniversary video of the film with the blacklisted writers (Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman) credited in place of novelist Pierre Boulle for the Academy Award-winning screenplay. Parodies The 1985 movie Volunteers is a spoof of the film, with the Washington State University Fight Song used in place of the Colonel Bogey March . [citation needed] An episode of the TV series Magnum PI has Magnum blowing up Higgin's model of the Bridge on the River Kwai.

[citation needed] John Hughes' 1985 film The Breakfast Club portrays a scene in which the students whistle the Colonel Bogey March during their time in detention, complete with the imagined marching band backup, just as the British soldiers had done upon their initial entrance in The Bridge on the River Kwai. Peter Sellers' hit film The Mouse That Roared (1959) parodied the sequence of Col. Nicholson's refusal to eat and drink food when held captive. See also

Question: Who was the British actor who won an Oscar for his part in 'The Bridge over the River Kwai'?
Answer: Sir Alec Guinness